Encouraging catch and release and conservation in the western U.S..

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Breaking Rules

Like the rest of life, fly fishing is built on a certain list of proverbs and proven methods. The combination of tips, tricks, and adages can point you in the right direction but never guarantee you will net the fish you are chasing in your head.

You can really frustrate yourself thinking that what worked yesterday will do the job today. The same fly in the same slot at the same depth under the same cloud cover will produce different results. This is why you could never repeat exactly a day on the river. The river is a living thing; a fluid world, the life within it constantly moving and shifting. The river is an indignant toddler, who firmly believes that she owes you nothing. The river is a steel safe who’s combination changes several times a day, impenetrable by force.

When my son comes along, the options on the river become slim. After a brief stop in what is some of the most heavily pounded water I know, my nymph rig took off downstream and we landed this bow. Great color, great fish. My son took this first pic…which is the source of much fatherly pride.

I’d never pick this stretch of water by myself. The “rules” would tell me that it gets too much pressure and the water is too low. The “rules” would say it’s too easily accessed and there wasn’t enough cover. So much for all that.